This invention relates to a mechanical displacement amplifier and to a thermostat embodying the mechanical displacement amplifier.
There are of course many situations in which it is desireable or necessary to take a relatively small displacement and amplify that displacement into a larger one. Mechanisms for doing so can range from the very simple to the very complex, from a simple lever, for example, to a complex arrangement of linkages, levers, cams, inclined planes, screws and other basic mechanical elements.
The present invention is directed towards an extremely simple, reliable and sensitive mechanism for achieving the desired displacement amplification at low cost. The invention has particular applications in thermostats, limit switches and the like, but is not limited to such applications. This description of the invention will focus on the thermostat application by way of example only.
In any thermostat, it is desirable to have a mechanism which is inexpensive, reliable, easily calibrated, and sensitive. There are of course many thermostat mechanisms in the prior art, many using mechanical displacement amplifiers of one sort or another to amplify the relatively small displacement of the temperature sensing unit into a displacement large enough to trigger a switch. Most conventional displacement amplifiers used for such applications employ various combinations of linkages, levers, and cams to achieve the desired results.